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U.S. east coast airports brace for storm

Spring is in sight, but winter still has an icy grip on the eastern United States, with heavy snow and plummeting temperatures causing flight delays and cancellations at major airports on Monday.

Nearly 3,000 flights in the United States were cancelled early Monday, according to flight tracking site FlightAware.com — about one-tenth of the 30,000 flights usually scheduled in the U.S. on a typical day.

Air Canada (TSX:AC.A) was among the airlines warning customers to expect weather disruptions for service to Washington, D.C., as well as Baltimore, Raleigh, S.C., Nashville, Tenn., and major cities in the U.S. Northeast: Baltimore, Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

The latest frigid blow of the harsh winter threatened as much as 10 inches of snow (25 centimetres) by the end of the day in Washington, Baltimore and elsewhere in the Mid-Atlantic region.

Up to six inches (15 centimetres) of snow was predicted to the north in Philadelphia, while nearly a foot of snow was expected in parts of New Jersey.

Snow began falling in the nation's capital in Washington, D.C., early Monday, and officials warned people to stay off treacherous, icy roads — shut much of the city down.

The federal government closed its Washington-area offices Monday, with non-emergency personnel granted excused absences for the day.

Schools were cancelled, bus service was halted in places and federal government workers in the DC area were told to stay home Monday.

"We're tired of it. We're sick of it," said Martin Peace, a web developer from the Washington suburb of Arlington, Va.

On Sunday, a mix of freezing rain and heavy snow hit central and eastern states. Authorities warned of possible power outages and flight disruptions from weather that could affect millions.

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